FMCW-Based Integrated Sensing and Communication System: Design, Implementation, and Experimental Measurements
Pith reviewed 2026-06-30 15:07 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
FMCW chirps modulated with phase and index layers transmit data at 25-50 Mbps while radar sensing remains the primary function.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
Joint phase and index modulation applied to FMCW chirps, together with a mitigation technique in the radar receiver chain, enables communication throughputs of 25 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band and 50 Mbps in the 24 GHz band under Doppler while preserving the radar's primary sensing capability, as demonstrated in simulation and loopback hardware tests.
What carries the argument
Two-layer modulation (phase modulation plus index modulation) on FMCW chirps combined with a radar signal processing mitigation step that removes modulation-induced distortions from sensing measurements.
Load-bearing premise
The mitigation processing fully removes the effects of index and phase modulation on sensing measurements under all relevant operational conditions.
What would settle it
An over-the-air vehicular test that records measurable degradation in range or velocity accuracy when the modulation layers are active would show that the mitigation step does not fully preserve sensing performance.
Figures
read the original abstract
This study proposes a radar-centric integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) system utilizing a two-layer modulation scheme for vehicular networks. Frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) chirps are jointly modulated via phase modulation (PM) and index modulation (IM) to transmit data while maintaining sensing as the primary function. To support this, a novel radar signal processing technique is developed to mitigate the impacts of IM and PM on sensing accuracy, alongside a communication receiver architecture designed to successfully demodulate IM and PM data within FMCW chirps. System performance is evaluated through simulations in the 2.4 GHz and 24 GHz bands under Doppler effects, achieving communication throughputs of 25 Mbps and 50 Mbps, respectively. Furthermore, a proof-of-concept hardware implementation is realized, and experimental measurements via a loopback cable are performed to verify the feasibility of the architecture. Finally, it evaluates the fundamental trade-off between communication throughput, sensing accuracy, and out-of-band emission, demonstrating the system's flexibility to dynamically adjust waveform parameters to meet varying operational requirements.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper proposes a radar-centric ISAC system for vehicular networks that applies two-layer modulation (phase modulation and index modulation) to FMCW chirps to enable data transmission while keeping sensing as the primary function. A novel radar signal processing technique is developed to mitigate modulation-induced degradation in sensing accuracy, paired with a communication receiver for demodulating the IM/PM data. Simulations at 2.4 GHz and 24 GHz under Doppler effects report throughputs of 25 Mbps and 50 Mbps; a hardware proof-of-concept is implemented and validated via loopback-cable measurements. The work also examines trade-offs among throughput, sensing accuracy, and out-of-band emissions, showing parameter flexibility.
Significance. If the mitigation technique is shown to restore sensing metrics under realistic propagation, the approach would offer a practical, parameter-tunable framework for radar-primary ISAC waveforms that achieve Mbps-scale communication without dedicated spectrum, directly relevant to vehicular networks.
major comments (3)
- [Experimental Measurements] Experimental Measurements section: hardware validation is performed exclusively via loopback cable, which omits wireless propagation, target-motion Doppler spread, multipath, and interference present in the claimed 2.4/24 GHz vehicular scenarios; this leaves untested whether the novel radar processing fully restores range/Doppler accuracy to simulated levels when IM/PM are active.
- [Simulation results] Simulation results (abstract and performance evaluation): reported throughputs of 25 Mbps and 50 Mbps lack accompanying quantitative sensing-error metrics (e.g., RMSE in range/Doppler) with versus without the mitigation technique, and no error bars or statistical significance are provided, weakening the claim that sensing remains primary.
- [Radar signal processing technique] Description of the novel radar signal processing technique: the manuscript states that a mitigation method is developed but supplies neither the explicit equations nor the algorithmic steps showing how IM/PM effects are removed from the range-Doppler map, making independent verification of the central mitigation claim impossible from the given material.
minor comments (2)
- [Abstract] Abstract: the phrase 'maintaining sensing as the primary function' is repeated without a quantitative definition (e.g., maximum allowable degradation in RMSE); a single clarifying sentence would improve precision.
- [System model] Notation: the two-layer modulation scheme is described at a high level; a compact table listing the exact mapping of data bits to chirp index and phase values would aid reproducibility.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the constructive comments, which help improve the clarity and completeness of the manuscript. We address each major comment point by point below.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: [Experimental Measurements] Experimental Measurements section: hardware validation is performed exclusively via loopback cable, which omits wireless propagation, target-motion Doppler spread, multipath, and interference present in the claimed 2.4/24 GHz vehicular scenarios; this leaves untested whether the novel radar processing fully restores range/Doppler accuracy to simulated levels when IM/PM are active.
Authors: The loopback-cable experiment is presented as a hardware proof-of-concept to confirm that the two-layer modulation can be generated and that the basic transmit/receive chain functions as designed. The simulations separately incorporate Doppler spread to evaluate performance under vehicular conditions. We agree that the loopback setup does not capture wireless propagation effects and will revise the Experimental Measurements section to explicitly state this limitation and clarify the scope of the hardware validation. revision: partial
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Referee: [Simulation results] Simulation results (abstract and performance evaluation): reported throughputs of 25 Mbps and 50 Mbps lack accompanying quantitative sensing-error metrics (e.g., RMSE in range/Doppler) with versus without the mitigation technique, and no error bars or statistical significance are provided, weakening the claim that sensing remains primary.
Authors: The current manuscript emphasizes communication throughput but does not present the requested side-by-side sensing-error metrics. We will add range and Doppler RMSE values (with and without mitigation) together with any available variability measures from the Monte-Carlo runs in the revised Performance Evaluation section to strengthen the claim that sensing accuracy is preserved. revision: yes
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Referee: [Radar signal processing technique] Description of the novel radar signal processing technique: the manuscript states that a mitigation method is developed but supplies neither the explicit equations nor the algorithmic steps showing how IM/PM effects are removed from the range-Doppler map, making independent verification of the central mitigation claim impossible from the given material.
Authors: We acknowledge that the description of the mitigation technique is currently at a high level. In the revision we will insert the explicit mathematical formulation and the step-by-step algorithmic procedure used to suppress the IM/PM-induced artifacts in the range-Doppler map, enabling independent verification. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No circularity in derivation chain
full rationale
The paper is a design-and-experiment study that proposes a two-layer IM/PM modulation on FMCW chirps, introduces a mitigation processing technique, and reports throughputs from simulations (under Doppler) plus loopback-cable hardware measurements. No equations, fitted parameters, or predictions are presented that reduce by construction to the inputs; performance numbers are obtained directly from the described simulations and measurements rather than from any self-referential derivation or self-citation chain. The central claims therefore remain independent of the patterns that would produce circularity scores above 2.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (1)
- domain assumption The developed radar signal processing technique successfully removes the effects of IM and PM on sensing accuracy
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